Boys to Men- Part 1

So its been many days since I last ventured out of my home (I lost count after the lock down). So yes, the times are tense. The Corona pandemic has pushed us to fight for survival.

But this piece isn’t about Corona. We have had enough depression and fear for a lifetime. 

I grew up as a 90s kid, and for some weird reason still feel that 90s was 10 years ago. It was an exciting decade. We as a nation were just beginning to shed our inhibitions. Probably the most brazen moment of that decade was the song Choli ke Peeche from Khalnayak. It was 1993, and as it is with anything remotely raunchy, the people were scandalised. It was a different matter altogether that the song became their favourite in the sweet privacy of their homes.

Naturally, the song was very popular among us boys. From "tuney ‘wo' gaana dekha?" to humming ‘kukukuku...’ the song set our imaginations wild. As kids on the cusp of teenage, finally came a song which was asking all the right questions - What exactly lies behind the choli?

As it is with any educational institute’s toilet, my school too had its share of graffiti artists and vandals who would treat the toilet walls like their own personal canvas. From graphic sketches to cheeky one liners...the wall had space for everyone. And one of the walls finally had the answer to the question. It read: Choli ke peeche kya hai...choli ke peeche b*ll hai! ‘B*ll’ obviously being the metaphor for breasts for us at that tender yet furiously notorious age.

And some 25 years have passed between then and now...whenever Choli ke Peeche plays up, my mind immediately gives me the response. Choli ke Peeche b*ll hai!

Throughout the 90s there were many songs which made us go red in the face. not because we were scandalised. But because back then, watching TV was a joint endeavour. there was no concept of 'me time' where one family member could hog the TV alone. so whatever was dished out on the TV was meant to be watched at the viewer's discretion. So yes, I have watched the opening scene of Aaj Phir Tumpe Pyar Aaya Hai from Dayavaan and watched Govinda and Karishma Kapoor dance suggestively to Sarkailiyo Khatiya...with my parents. 

The tricky part lay with the person holding the remote - that of smoothly changing the channel. While dads could get away with it (coz mah house mah rulez), we had to be very subtle. Changing immediately would mean that we knew what the song meant, and that we were no longer the innocent ,cherubic apples of their eyes. Suddenly they would get their eureka moment on why we were spending more time in the bathroom.

Which brings me to the next Boys to Men phase...Porn!

But thats later.

(to be contd...)

*Honourable mention: 

Aanchal ke andar kya hai

Aanchal ke andar Choli

Choli ke andar kya hai

Batau...Batau?

Choli main....tabahi hai tabahi tabahi

Duhayi hai duhayi duhayi...

...from Khalnayika